I-95 ramp closure to start tonight, barring rain

By DAVID BAUERLEINThe Times-Union,

The closure of a ramp from northbound Interstate 95 to Interstate 295 in southeast Jacksonville is scheduled to take place tonight, but rainy weather could put off the shutdown until later in the week, officials said Monday.

When the ramp is barricaded, signs will direct motorists on a detour that continues north on I-95 to Philips Highway. Motorists will exit at Philips and return on southbound I-95 to get on I-295.

Florida Department of Transportation officials were keeping an eye on weather forecasts and said rain might hinder preparations for the closure. If the ramp is closed tonight, it won't happen until after the evening rush hour, spokesman Mike Goldman said.

The ramp must be demolished because it is in the way of constructing new elevated ramps for the multilevel, $105 million interchange that will connect I-95 and I-295 to the Florida 9A beltway.

"You've got a three-dimensional puzzle that has to take place, and unfortunately at the ramp from northbound I-95 to I-295, you've got a critical juncture," said Al Moyle, the state transportation department's Jacksonville construction engineer.

Moyle said when the state awarded AMEC Civil the contract in 2001, the state authorized AMEC to close the ramp for almost two years during construction.

Since then, the state has offered varying estimates of how long the detour will last, ranging from at least eight months to about two years. Moyle said the time frame depends on how long AMEC Civil takes to finish the entire interchange because the new ramp from I-95 northbound to I-295 will be one of the last ramps that opens to traffic.

The state has offered a $5 million bonus if the interchange is ready for traffic before Jacksonville hosts the Super Bowl. Moyle said he has not ruled out the possibility that AMEC can still make the Super Bowl bonus deadline.

Even if AMEC misses the Super Bowl date, the state will pay AMEC a bonus of up to $2 million, based on an incentive of $7,500 for each day the work is done ahead of schedule. Moyle said the daily bonus could spur AMEC to faster completion.

If AMEC doesn't earn any of the bonuses, the interchange won't be done until spring 2006, in which case the detour will last for about two years.